Hymn of the Elves
by Komusai Matakatana
Summary: Branching off from the manga's end Lucy and Nyuu survive the lighthouse incident, inheriting a second chance and a new resolve to honor the promise that she made to Kouta. But how far can a virgin pacifist be pushed until she returns to murder. ON HIATUS!
1. Prologue

_Thinking_

_"Mental conversation"_

**Time transitions or highlighted words**

**_The voice_**

* * *

Her senses were long gone; the world around her seemed small and confining. Only blackness was evident alongside the stagnant thumping of her heart that penetrated the remnants of her ears. This existence was calming for her, peaceful and unanimously welcomed between her personalities; everything seemed at ease in the void around her.

_This is the way it should be…I'm finally going to die._

Lucy was awash in an eroding sense of drowsiness, savoring every dreamy moment that excelled her closer to release. The pain was long gone, her body reduced to nothing but a bare torso and skull; the flesh liquefied by the abuse of her power and her brain damaged by the tungsten slug that was imparted to her from her love.

Even as thoughts of him crossed her mind, the regrets never came as she had expected. Lucy was satisfied with her final actions; letting only a few more vagrant thoughts wander through her decaying mind before giving in willfully to the darkness that permeated the lonely expanse of her final sanctuary.


	2. Resurrection

"If that vital spark that we find in a grain of wheat can pass unchanged through countless deaths and resurrections, will the spirit of man be unable to pass from this body to another?" – William Jennings Bryan

_

* * *

_

Something's wrong…

Lucy cracked open her eyes with no small amount of effort and winced at the sunlight that seared her cornea, letting a low growl of distaste escape from her throat. She tried to speak but all that echoed back into her head were sickly gurgling noises. A high-pitched ringing assaulted her ears, deteriorating into a gentle hum which gave room for more unique sounds to be heard. One was loud and monotonous, something large and mechanic; what Lucy deduced to be the source of the erratic winds that stung at her melted flesh. However, despite the turbulent noise, she could also pick up on a myriad of voices from all directions.

She tried opening her eyes once more, surprised that she even had eyelids left and grimaced at the harshness of the sun; failing to move her head enough to shake away the blurriness. So she waited with patience as the blaring sound overhead continued and the voices grew more distant, giving way to a semblance of visual clarity.

All she could see was the warped metal beneath her, stained with pieces of liquefied skin and muscle tissue.

_So I'm still at the lighthouse, huh? Oh well, sure beats another laboratory._

Lucy couldn't say what she was feeling, so many thoughts and emotions raced into her head as the reality set in. She was alive and denied the salvation that she had so craved only moments ago but as she was mulling over her current misery a new prospect made its way slowly through her mind. Maybe she could see Kouta and all her friends again.

_Idiot, don't be stupid. I can't even move so much as make my way down from this damn place._

As her eyes finally adjusted to the light and her damaged ears began to function as best they could, Lucy expanded her senses to pick up on the activities around her. Still, without her head being able to move from the floor, all she could do was listen. The spinning rotors of a helicopter were easily recognizable as well as the barking commands of what must've been the last of the S.A.T. confirming her death to whoever commanded them now that Director Kakuzawa was dead.

The comforting scent of the ocean breeze tickled her misshapen nose and refused any harm on her body now that the numbness had completely taken over. Lucy was still fatigued but aware enough to pick up on a nearby conversation between two operatives.

"So we just leave her, eh? Can't even take a horn as a souvenir?" a man with a deep baritone commented dryly, obviously distraught over his mission. "That's what I'm told," another voice growled, seemingly belonging to an officer by the authoritative edge put into his words. "We've got orders to keep the bitch from disintegrating until the lab coats from the vector research center get up here to take her away and do fuck knows what with her." The conversation went on as the other voices in the area faded away in the direction of the helicopter.

Lucy cursed inwardly at the manner in which the men regarded her, even more so at the thought of being locked back into confinement at some new research center. No, she wouldn't let that happen as long as she was alive; Lucy was certain that she had escaped death for a reason and would protect her freedom until the end.

_No killing!_

The words rebounded violently off of every corner in her head but she didn't need to be convinced, Lucy would honor her promise even if she had to die once more to do so. She was finished with the hate and the murder; she was tired of it, exhausted mentally from carrying the weight of those she had slaughtered in cold blood. There was no guilt, there never would be but there was the disappointment and fear that she had instilled into those she cared about.

Only one vector manifested itself upon her bidding, a pitiful reminder of how weak she was in her current state. It searched the area acting as a heightened sense for Lucy's mangled body. She found the locations of the remaining troops on the platform as well as the helicopter as it set down to evacuate the personnel from the damaged lighthouse and then back towards the two operatives conversing next to her.

"Just got word that the researchers will be here at an e.t.a. of five minutes, we're cleared to leave," the officer grumbled, making his way to the attack helicopter with the other soldier a short distance behind him. "Can't wait to get some leave in the city tonight," he quipped enthusiastically.

When the roar of the helicopter was off in the distance and the tumultuous winds around Lucy had ceased, she called upon every bit of energy in her body in hopes of a miracle but she still remained face-down on the floor in a puddle of her own flesh.

_Is this it…was I cursed by the human race for all the evils I've done to them? Am I to remain in this misery until they get their revenge? I suppose that I can't argue with that course of action. After all, I can't even count how many lives I've ended and tragedies I've created. _

_I just wish that I could see his face one last time…_

Lucy wanted to scream at the top of her lungs but the necessary organs seemed to be missing. The familiar sense of being alone returned once more, even worse now than it was when she was just a frightened child. Tears refused to form in her eyes and Lucy sat lying in a pool of her sorrow and laments. How could it be anything else, she was destroyed in every sense of the word, her flesh and organs melted away into steaming piles of gore, her brain penetrated by a .50 caliber bullet; there was no explanation as to why she was still alive other than the malicious wishes of the human race.

As Lucy was drowning in anguish amidst the numbing sensations that crept through the remainder of her figure, she failed to realize that her body had resumed melted away into uniform carnage until only her spine and head were left intact while the rest vaporized into the oceanic wind.

"_Nyuu?"_

The awakening of her alternate personality stirred Lucy away from grief long enough to see that the tissue and organs that were once right below her nose had now vanished without a trace. The shock sent her trying to scream in horror but no sound would come forth from her mouth, nothing below her head existed save a set of vertebrae. It took only a minute until she was calm enough to assess the situation.

_This is ridiculous even a Diclonius can't survive this kind of damage. What the hell is happening to me?_

"_I just want to know why I have to be back too! I didn't do anything bad!"_

Lucy cringed at the volume of Nyuu's screaming inside their skull and mentally sighed when she had calmed into soft whimpers.

"_So you're with me too, huh? I guess that means that something else's going on…but what?"_

"_How should I know?! You're the original anyway!"_

The two personalities proceeded to clash back and forth out of confusion and fear, taking away the attention of both yet again as their body's facial structure began to repair itself at an alarming rate. The bullet hole in between her eyes began to seal itself shut and muscle fibers began to rapidly reconnect while thin layers of skin started to coat over them. Her teeth which were once hideously exposed were now covered with renewed gums and full, red lips.

Still, neither personality had noticed the transformation, wailing in conjoined despair over their immobility and powerlessness. Lucy was the first one to become aware of their repaired facial features when tears began to spill over her vermillion eyes, creating warm streaks down her cheeks and past the corner of her mouth until they dripped onto the sun-warmed steel of the damaged lighthouse.

_What the hell…what just happened…my face is back?!_

"_Nyuu?!"_

"_Hmph…maybe we can get out of this yet."_

"_And see Kouta, right?"_

"_Of course."_

With newfound resolve and dry eyes, Lucy gathered up as much mental energy as she could currently harness and then found herself at a loss of what to do next. She hadn't purposefully reconstructed her face, something else had activated the healing process but what it was, she couldn't even begin to guess. The only logical thing to do was to turn inwards.

"_I don't suppose you know what I did, do you?"_

"_No clue."_

Lucy and Nyuu sighed heavily in unison, putting their heads together to think back to what had transpired before their body began to repair itself. Time passed and nothing came to mind, it was unnerving for the both of them which made itself evident when Lucy began stringing curses together to form offenses that Nyuu could never have dreamt of. But even she had to admit that the situation had gotten her a little miffed over the last couple of minutes and as she had learned from Lucy's memories, they were pressed for time. A horde of scientists from the vector research center would be zipping them up in a body bag very soon.

Persevering through that thought however and seeing that Lucy would be of no further help, Nyuu took it upon herself to find a solution. It was only a short while until an idea popped into focus.

"_I got it!"_

"_Huh, you do?!"_

"_Yup, we were both sad while it was happening. Maybe we'll get our whole body back if we're sad again."_

"…_damn…well I have nothing else to go on."_

The straightforwardness of the plan seemed to match its simplicity, at least for Lucy it did. All she had to do was ponder over the idea for a moment before deducing that it was completely idiotic and reverted back into her previous, hopelessly melancholy state, eliciting several more tears to slide down across her face. Her sadness was genuine, laden with thoughts of the man she loved along with all her friends back at the Maple Inn.

Nyuu on the other hand, proved to be much more difficult as she actually believed her plan to result in success, that is if she could pull it off along with her other personality.

_Well…if she can do it then I certainly can._

Despite her willingness to feel the overwhelming sadness that was within her only a minute ago, Nyuu couldn't even come close until the sound of distant helicopters released all the agony back into her mind. Memories she had taken from Lucy about the virus research center danced around her thoughts until the idea of being thrown into captivity once more sent her over the edge and into the familiar pit of anguish.

Both were so distracted by their depression that they failed to realize the vital organs budding in their ribcage, coating themselves in a network of arteries and veins until the muscle sealed everything in place and the skin stretched over, completing the torso. But neither of the two stopped as the ominous roar of the incoming vehicles continued their approach, sending the Diclonius spiraling into mental agony.

All at once, their brain snapped back into focus and the tears ceased to fall. Lucy looked up with wide eyes, shocked to be able to once again move her head freely. The shock nearly rendered her unconscious but the will to survive was greater. She rose clumsily, her jaw not even attempting to move up from the floor as she set her eyes on her new body. Everything was normal, no melted flesh, no exposed bones, and no piles of sickening gore anywhere to be seen.

_Snap out of it! We're running out of time._

Lucy looked up towards the horizon and sighed in relief, turning her posture into a slump with a large heave. The helicopters were still out of visual range, leaving plenty of time to escape. Now that she had made up her mind never to kill again, there would have been very few options if the personnel aboard the crafts had seen her. But still, as she turned her head away from the vehicles, her eyes caught the scenery before her. It was the ocean as Kouta had shown her, vast and a deep sapphire color, reflecting bits off dappled sunlight back towards the source. It was beautiful, free of battleships and water spouts; it was the way the sea was supposed to be viewed; the way the sea had been when Kouta had shown it to her before everything was shot to Hell.

This sense of serenity didn't last long however, Lucy stood aghast when she panned her vision over to the nearby city. It was chaos. Massive steel structures stood only as a monument to those who had perished within them, permeated with gaping holes and burning high into the afternoon sky. Her ears picked up on screaming civilians and collapsing rubble, something she found oddly horrifying. The city was at least several kilometers away, how could she hear those people from her current position?

_No matter, I have more important things to worry about than the actions of the voice of my DNA. _

She was slightly disgusted with herself as she thought this; it was her old selfishness, something that she could have more than tolerated when she was a cold-blooded murderer but things were different now. Living with humans had resulted in the adaption of morals and she promised to herself that she would now consider how her friends would react to her actions.

Lucy cast another glance back up towards the incoming helicopters and grimaced, she needed to leave and she needed to do it now before they saw her. She looked once more to the wreckage of the city and quickly vowed to eventually aid in the reconstruction before leaping gracefully from the destroyed lighthouse.

The air rushing past her felt refreshing on her new body as she plummeted ever downwards, deploying her vectors just before hitting the beach and would have slowed her to a casual descent had she not been completely in awe of what she had just seen. What looked to be over three hundred vectors had plowed fiercely into the sand, sending particles of rock and shell sailing into the air.

_What the hell?!_

Lucy removed her face from the ground and stared wide-eyed into the sand, flabbergasted over what had just occurred. She remembered that she had been able to produce more vectors than usual when she activated her power to its limit but the number wasn't even close to how many she had just summoned. Lucy could feel them as well, their destructive power. It was horrible but at the same time it was incredible. All at once, she noticed everything that was different about her now that the impact from her fall had shaken away the remaining numbness and shock. Her mental power had increased what felt like a hundredfold, her vectors seemed stronger than ever, her senses were much more acute, allowing her to see colors more vividly and eliminate motion blur, to hear from kilometers away, and to keenly pick up different scents.

But Lucy found that her new abilities didn't stop there, her body felt more durable, possibly able to withstand the extremes of her newfound powers, she was vastly superior physically in her new body than she had ever been in her old one. She stood up hastily and brought her hands to the top of her head.

"Hmph, thought so," she remarked emotionlessly.

Her horns had grown substantially in size, something that had only happened once before and even then…the voice that had plagued her mind had been strong but now it was completely quiet.

_Is it…gone?_

At this thought, Lucy felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It was true, her DNA had been rendered mute by whatever had transpired on top of the lighthouse and now she was free from its hate and persuasion. Free to live, free to think, free to love…

"Kouta," Lucy whispered to herself, caught in a trance by her transformation and thoughts of the one she loved. However, it wasn't long until she was brought back into reality with the realization the air above her was silent; the researchers had landed.

"She's not here!" A voice boomed from the wreckage of the lighthouse. "Someone took the body, find it damn it!" Within seconds, half a dozen helicopters lifted off from the dilapidated structure and began combing nearby areas, searching for any clue as to where the supposed "body" might be. The thunderous voice began barking orders once more to whomever remained atop the lighthouse.

Lucy was already in the surrounding trees before the echoes had subsided.

**

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**

Author's Note:

So this is my first Elfen Lied fic and I hope at least someone has enjoyed it so far. I just finished reading the manga and watching the anime (in reverse order) and I thought that I could definitely come up with something interesting to do with it.

Most chapters will be longer than this, I like writing chapters anywhere between 6,000 and 10,000 words so this may take some time to update sometimes.

That's about it for the first upload, I know its kind of a weird series of events with a big cliffhanger but the update will come as soon as tomorrow and explain a ton in a logical manner.

**Please don't forget to review! It helps with motivation.**


	3. Whispers of Reconciliation

"My pacifism is an instinctive feeling, a feeling that possesses me because the murder of men is disgusting. My attitude is not derived from any intellectual theory but is based on my deepest antipathy to every kind of cruelty and hatred." – Albert Einstein_

* * *

_

_This is incredible…_

Lucy was sprinting as swiftly as her new legs could carry her, crashing through brush and weaving adeptly through the tall oaks as the terrain beneath her feet started to slope upwards. She was approaching the small mountain range on which the Maple Inn rested serenely near the summit, running at unimaginable speeds through the forest. But what truly impressed her was that she could accelerate to such extremes without the use of her vectors propelling her by grappling the trees as she was accustomed to; her new body just seemed improved in every possible sense.

It was the essence of freedom that she had long sought after, the crisp mountain winds tossing her vermillion hair about wildly, the sound of the leaves being crushed beneath her feet; the entire world no longer seemed to be in black and white for Lucy as she ascended the rugged landscape towards the familiar sight of the stairway leading up to the inn. She couldn't help but let out a series of unrestricted laughs aimed at her recent fortune, silently thanking whoever or whatever had granted her so much after a lifetime of suffering.

Blasting through one final stretch of vegetation, Lucy leapt gracefully out of the treeline and over the small stone wall to the staircase, skidding to a halt on one of the steps. But despite the urge to run, she felt herself compelled to take a seat on the edge of a small, tiled platform that connected two branching staircases. Only after picking bits of dry leaves and other souvenirs of the forest from her hair, she made her way over to the top of the stairway and sat down in a loose pose that hung unceremoniously over the ground. Lucy shifted uncomfortably atop the rigid surface a bit until her eyes caught sight of the darkening sky. The waning sun was just beginning to recede behind a thick blanket of gray, shining in defiant brilliance for several more precious moments until it was consumed by the twilight overcast.

As the sky became a palette of violet and crimson, the autumn chill crept along the edge of night to remind the hemisphere that winter was near, snaking along the blanket of shadow that began to overtake the heavens. Mottled leaves swayed in unison with the wind, sounding off the sun's departure with a gentle rustling, adorning the ground with their fallen brethren.

After nature had begun to quiet its display, Lucy shifted her eyes below her and traced a thin crack in the calloused stone with her thumb, nodding along to the choir of foliage that continued their soothing performance by aid of the strengthening wind. It seemed to Lucy as if her enhanced senses had been set ablaze with stimulation after she had relaxed; never before had she been so alert to such minute details out of combat. Her ears could pick up a twig snapping three hundred meters into the forest beside her, her eyes could see for miles through the darkness and the clouds, it made her restless but put her at ease at the same time. The chance of her ever being attacked off-guard ever again seemed next to nothing; she returned her gaze back towards the ground, traversing the same miniscule fissure in the steps again and again.

_I really need to cut my nails…_

Minutes went by while Lucy did nothing but listen to the sounds of the night, entranced by their elegance and the calming effects they had on her heightened senses.

_This is pointless…I'm getting drowsy; I've wasted far too much time._

Finally convincing herself to turn her back to the enchanted scene before her, Lucy allowed her eyes one last glimpse of the moonlit ocean on the horizon before breaking her gaze defiantly from the scenery and exploded into a sprint up the remainder of the steps. It wasn't long until she had fully traversed the familiar path up towards the Maple Inn and even though she had been dead for what felt like only hours, standing under the torii gate before her home seemed nostalgic. She took one step forward onto the stone walkway and noticed something missing when she looked down. "Why am I always naked," she cursed under her breath, quickly coming to the realization that every occupant of the inn had already seen her naked at least a dozen times.

Lucy crept up to the main entrance with cat-like stealth, utilizing her advanced speed to quickly hop from one position to the other until she was directly in front of the shoji doors. Silently thanking whoever would listen that Wanta had been out, she slid the doors open and stepped inside, immediately sensing the lack of activity in the structure.

_I haven't been out that long, have I? No, the position of the moon is too low._

She concentrated her senses and expanded her awareness to the eerily quiet building, picking up on a few sounds from the kitchen. Turning over to her inexperienced nose, Lucy caught only two scents that seemed stronger than the rest but beyond that, she couldn't deduce any further information; she had no existing scents to compare them to and find out who was home and who wasn't. She then noticed the shoes by the doorway, one was a pair issued as part of a school uniform so that meant either Mayu, Nana, or Nozomi was in and another pair that was unfamiliar to her. After a moment's hesitation, Lucy had forsaken all subtlety and strolled casually through the narrow corridors until reaching the kitchen.

"I don't know what you're sneaking around for. I've sensed you around since this afternoon, Lucy-san."

Nana was sitting at the table with a plate of misshapen onigiri in front of her, studying the other Diclonius intently as she sat down across from her with a matching expression of complete seriousness.

"And even though I've had several hours to try and figure it out, I can't even begin to imagine how you survived," Nana continued as she rose from her cushion and poured another cup of tea for her counterpart. "Who else is here?" Lucy asked coldly, ignoring the previous statement and growing even more uneasy when Nana froze at her words. She turned with a visible amount of fear plastered over her features and walked back over to the table, sliding a cup over to Lucy who only nodded in gratitude.

"Papa is here…"

Now it was Lucy's turn to glaze over in mid-sip, setting down her tea and twisting her face into a pensive expression. "So he's here too, huh?" she mused in an unidentifiable tone, turning her face back into one of determination after working the thought around in her head. "Does he know that I'm alive?"

"Yes."

"Anyone else?"

"No."

"Fine then," Lucy sighed, returning to her tea with a content line playing across her lips. "You're culinary skills are improving," she commented humorously as she plucked a rice ball from Nana's plate and examined it with mirth. "At least they come out in one piece now."

"Hey!" Nana shouted in mock offense, placing her hands on her hips with a half smile. "You really think I'm getting better?" she inquired hopefully, more than relieved at the odd turn of events; she more than half expected Lucy to tear out of the room and return to throw Kurama's head into her lap. Apparently picking up on these thoughts, Lucy sent her a skeptical look while popping the onigiri into her mouth. After a minute of comfortable silence, Nana caught herself staring at Lucy's elongated horns and paying more attention to the substantial growth in her powers. "You've changed," she murmured in awe, comparing her own abilities to hers and shaking her head at the difference.

"That's why I want you to keep him here, that man. Don't let him leave, I need to talk to him when I return," Lucy stated sternly as she downed the rest of her tea and stood from the table. "I want to know where everyone else is." Nana rose with her and ran her fingers through her lilac bangs, shuffling her feet and wearing a thoughtful expression. "Kouta-san went up one of the mountain paths alone right after we returned from the beach. Everyone else went to take Nozomi-chan home…they're probably out sulking around somewhere…they really miss Nyuu-san." As her own words set in, Nana's eyes widened considerably, catching Lucy by surprise when she vaulted over the table and stared at her with a sullen countenance. "Nyuu-san is still with you, isn't she?!"

It pained Lucy slightly to know that more cared for her alternate personality than herself but she understood why; Nana's prosthetic limbs would always remind her why she was regarded with so much more negative sentiment than positive.

"Lucy-san?" Nana prodded, obviously worried by the hesitation. "She's with me, yes." Lucy snapped lightly with a dismissive gesture while motioning to exit the room. "She's just receded back into my mind for the time being; as it should be," she concluded dryly, placing a small sting at the edge of her sentence. "I'm going out. Do me a favor and tell the others that I'm alive if they get back before me, I don't feel like being stared at like a fucking exhibit when I walk back into this room."

"Lucy-san, wait!"

Nana jogged up to the doorway just in time to bar the other Diclonius from leaving. "It's going to be cold tonight; shouldn't you at least wear a shirt?"

Lucy spared a glance downward and felt her face flush with mild embarrassment. "Yeah sure, thanks for reminding me." She then proceeded to send out her vectors through the twisting hallways until they found her room, materialized into her armoire, picked a set of clothes, and shot back to their master in a matter of seconds.

As Nana was busy gawking at the flexibility of her new powers, Lucy threw on a pair of jeans and a tasteful black sweater, tossing back her vermillion hair before turning to leave. "I should be back in an hour or so, remember to keep that man here," Lucy remarked in finality before sliding open the nearest set of doors and exiting the inn.

The cool night air felt refreshing as Lucy entered a small veranda at the edge of the Maple Inn's compound, hugging her skin with its gentle gusts and planting small kisses of frigid breath across her exposed face. Once more, she felt drawn to nature, hesitating a few minutes to admire dusky ambience before taking off into a run towards the mountain paths. There was only one goal on her mind and it was to see the man who had attempted to give her the gift of eternal release that she had only hours ago prayed for with all her heart but large changes don't always play by rules enacted by time. Lucy was much different, not only physically but mentally as well. She had been given a second life and she didn't care what made that possible, she would follow the vow she made before her death and repent for all the wrong she had committed under the influence of her instinctual voice.

Passing into the treeline and taking one of the winding mountain paths further up slope, Lucy recalled all that she held dear to her and made a solemn promise to protect it with her newfound strength.

She sprinted harder than ever, pushing even her new body to its limits as she accelerated to blinding speeds through the densely forested trail. The previous sense of freedom was stronger now as Lucy caught sight of the starlit sky above her, a gentle reminder of the infinite possibilities that awaited her. But thoughts soon returned to Kouta when she branched off onto a thin footpath leading to areas she remembered from her childhood.

The impulse to summon her vectors briefly crossed Lucy's mind as the urge to move higher and faster, stinging her mind after failing to be immediately satisfied but she felt at ease with her pace, Kouta wasn't going anywhere. And with that, Lucy planted her feet firmly on the ground and sprung high into the air; falling gracefully atop a nearby tree and starting across the branches with a precision that surprised even her. She was bounding across the crest of the forest now, moving from tree to tree with only the moon keeping up with her incredible speed.

_Hmph, even traveling with vectors wasn't this fun. I'm not even the least bit tired yet._

Flipping over the small gap in the trees over the trail below her, Lucy propelled herself towards a staggeringly high rock wall, decelerating with every new step until she was motionless before the immense cliff. She stood serenely atop a branch for a moment, her back to the full moon, letting its silver rays wash over the scarlet lengths of her hair as it moved unanimously in the wind. The thoughts going through her mind seemed foolish at best but until now she had only tested her speed; Lucy wanted to know how much her strength had improved as well.

She placed her hand cautiously over a rock jutting out from the cliff face, hooked her alternate foot in a small alcove, and commenced a treacherous climb upwards. It was much simpler than she had originally thought, even with the tight jeans constricting her movement. Quickly traveling from rock to rock, from foothold to foothold, Lucy was making what she thought to be excellent time up the sheer drop.

Never stopping to look down, she continued tirelessly, amazed at her physical endurance and capabilities in addition to the obvious improvement to her strength. She soon found herself nearing the top of the precipice, now moving mechanically as four units of alternating limbs until her goal was only a meter away. With a triumphant smirk playing across her lips, Lucy reached out and found a grip near the top. She then raised her legs and stretched out her arm towards the edge of the cliff only to scrape the edge and end up in a week hold.

After wiggling her fingers into a more secure position, Lucy motioned to bring up her leg closer to her lower hand. She paused mid-step when the sound of straining rock pierced her attentive ears but before Lucy could even swing her gaze over to the rock face, her hold on the top chipped and broke into fragments. Adrenaline surged through Lucy's body as her arm swung down violently and her feet dangled freely beneath her. Only her lower grip kept her from falling back into the forest below but the threat of a fall didn't even faze Lucy, she merely studied the distance from her current position to the plateau above intently.

_Let's see what this body of mine can really do._

Lucy called upon all the strength in her body and pulled up fiercely with her arm, launching her well past the edge of the cliff and high into the air. Falling with refined elegance, she landed nimbly atop the escarpment and took off into a run down a nostalgic trail that carried her a little ways back down the side of the mountain towards the forested regions. She sprinted freely for a few minutes, reminiscing alongside the scenery before slowing into a swift jog and eventually a quick walk.

There was a dilapidated old wall beside her, overgrown with moss and penetrated from beneath by meddlesome roots. Vines were draped mournfully over the decaying stone, acting as perches for the many crows that stood as grim sentries atop the crumbling fortification. A derelict orphanage was barely visible beyond the wall, the laughter of children and scolding of teachers long since replaced by the desolate howling of the mountain winds. Lucy felt a knot deep within her chest as she trailed across the wall with her fingertips while walking down the gentle slope deeper into the woodlands.

She found a tall maple tree near the end of the wall where the path branched off and led back down towards Kanagawa. The tree itself seemed misplaced; it was in the center of a small clearing with an abnormal amount of space between it and the surrounding forest. Its branches had been warped and cruelly twisted by time but still it had a certain refined grace amidst the dappled moonlight that shone through its branches. During growth it had wrapped its roots around a small boulder and nearly consumed it now in its search for water.

However, Lucy kept her distance from the maple, her eyes scanning the base and settling on a large shadow that sat hunched over in front of the boulder. She could hear soft weeping and the gentle splashes of tears as they hit dry leaves, picking up on quiet laments through the chill of the night. Lucy knew he would be here, in this place where they had first met. It was surreal, standing there a decade later in the current circumstances. Everything had changed since their childhood but the ancient maple would always preserve the memories within its timeless hollow.

"Kouta…"

The shadow snapped up from the ground with a yelp, backing against the tree in surprise. "Who's there," it choked, the voice ridden with sadness.

"Kouta, it's me…"

Lucy stepped forward and stood only a couple feet from the dark mass beneath the tree, allowing the moonlight to reflect from her vermillion eyes and reveal her identity. She could smell the anguish that surrounded the small clearing, eliciting tears from her own eyes with the power of it. He had been there for hours, pouring his damaged spirit into the mountain.

"Nyuu?!"

Kouta quickly closed the distance between the two and nearly broke down at the sound of Lucy's confirmation. His knees weakened and he fell into her arms, letting her bring him to the ground and rest his head in her lap.

"Is it really you," he whimpered, reaching out to touch her face and recoiling slightly when he found it to be solid but returning quickly to caress her cheek. Lucy closed her eyes with a sigh, reveling in his touch and saying nothing. "You're not just a projection, are you," Kouta stated in awe, letting new tears wash away the shock. "No," Lucy answered with a comforting smile, stroking his hair and keeping her own crying down to a minimum. "But how?"

The question went unanswered as Lucy was quickly enveloped in a tight hug. Kouta was sobbing into her shoulder and she couldn't help but do the same. The joy of seeing him once more had been too great for the floodgates restraining her eyes. They stayed as such for nearly ten minutes, holding each other close and taking in the warmth of their bodies.

"Nyuu," Kouta whispered, falling to his face when Lucy suddenly broke their embrace. "She's not…it's me not her, Kouta," she announced sullenly, her mind swelling with the possibility that he cared more for her alternate personality than her.

_Who the hell am I kidding? I murdered his family and left him with nothing, why should he shed tears for me?_

Now with regained composure but still in major shock, Kouta eyed Lucy carefully and spoke with an indistinguishable tone. "I…see. So it's just you, huh? Where's Nyuu?" he asked blandly while moving into a cross-legged position on the forest floor. Lucy felt a pang in her heart as the indirect sting of his voice passed through her ears. "She's still with me, same as before," she muttered dryly, hoping that he would show her at least a semblance of joy.

_Of course he cares, he came here of all places, didn't he?_

Her thoughts were reassured when Kouta scooted up close to her and ran his fingers through her hair with pained expression smitten across his face. "But I killed you," he whispered in a troubled voice, falling once more into a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry," he sobbed explosively. "Shh…" Lucy whispered into his hair, rubbing her hands soothingly over his back. "You have no reason to apologize, you did the right thing and you gave me my freedom from myself," she cooed, thinning his tears until he was once more in just a simple hug. "I want to start over," Lucy continued. "I can't erase the past and I won't try to make up for it but I can try to make the future a happier place. I don't expect you to ever forgive me for what I did and you'll never hear me try to make excuses." She could feel Kouta shift into the crook of her neck. "I just want you to be happy, that's all."

"I'm happy now," Kouta murmured into her sweater, sending Lucy's heart soaring out of her chest. "I'm happy that you and Nyuu are with us again."

They stayed together after breaking away from their hold, sitting closely next to each other beside the maple tree in the windswept forest. Lucy tried to pretend that Kouta's eyes were fixated elsewhere but he had been staring at her elongated horns for a considerably long time. "You were like this when I remembered…" he stated gloomily, moving his eyes downcast and idly twirling a leaf between his thumb and forefinger. "Do you still crave vengeance?" Lucy asked somberly. "I won't blame you if you do."

"Father and Kanae were avenged with the death of that monster on top of the lighthouse. I know now that it wasn't you who slaughtered them in cold blood, I know it was that…that thing," Kouta declared with anger stinging his voice. "Nana-chan told me that you were born with it inside you, the impulse to kill and destroy mankind. She told me that that was what I shot and not you or Nyuu."

"You're wrong…"

Kouta snapped his head sideways to stare at Lucy in disbelief. "I had a choice to give in to it, to allow it to control me and I let it. I sold my body and mind for revenge against anything that hurt me. I was weak, pitiful and it promised power and strength but power corrupts and erodes the soul. I was transformed into a heartless murderer simply because of schoolyard bullies. It was by my own choice that led to your family's death," Lucy admitted while hot tears began to stream down her face. She tilted her head forward when Kouta sidled up close to her and wiped her face dry with his thumb.

"I don't blame you," he breathed gently. "We all do things that we regret. You look at your choice now as evil because you know the consequences that came from it but if you look back to what you knew when you made it…anyone would have chosen to become stronger so they could defend themselves against the world. I think because you were the only one of your kind at the time, you felt threatened by humans and wished for power to protect yourself. It was an innocent choice; you were just controlled by what came with that power, that third personality. I could never blame you for the actions of something you can't control."

Lucy was stunned speechless.

"We should head back home, I'm sure the others are back by now," Kouta chimed, standing up abruptly and offering his hand to Lucy who took it after brief hesitation. She was in awe of his capacity for forgiveness and understanding, suddenly the thought of them in a greater relationship didn't seem so farfetched. As they rose together, the sound of Kouta's voice tore Lucy away from her musings. "I want you to explain everything when we get back," he remarked sternly in a tone that offered little room for argument.

"Sure thing," Lucy replied hastily, motioning to start walking back towards the Maple Inn until something caught the attention of her enhanced vision. In the center of the large stone wedged between the two strongest roots of the tree, a word was neatly engraved into the rock.

**Lucy**

_He remembered my name…_

A bright smile made its way outwards from Lucy's lips as she turned her head sideways to find Kouta looking at her and then immediately avert his gaze elsewhere. She let out a small laugh and took his hand in hers, relieved when the pressure from her grip was equally returned. As they headed down the path to the Maple Inn, they met their eyes once more but both refused to look away, opting instead for a matching pair of warm smiles.

**

* * *

**

Author's Note:

Damn, this chapter took longer than I thought it would. Sorry folks but I had a week full of exams and conversations with my future wife. Other than that, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'll certainly be explaining a ton in the next one as I had meant to in this one but I needed to post something before people forgot about this story.

Don't forget to drop a review and tell me what you think, I'm always anxious to hear new ways to improve my writing.


	4. Shadows in the Rain

Change is the constant, the signal for rebirth, the egg of the phoenix. – Christina Baldwin

* * *

The moon hung as a white sliver above the Maple Inn as seasonal winds passed lazily through the mountain air, carrying multi-colored leaves through the arbor and scattering them indiscriminately along the forest floor.

"You're back!" Nana chimed as she rushed to meet Kouta and Lucy at the side entrance of the inn. The two nodded with faint smiles, sighing in relief when they saw that Nana had failed to realize that they had entered holding hands. "You must be hungry, Kouta-san", the fuscia-haired girl remarked candidly. "We have some onigiri and leftover sukiyaki that I can heat up for you." Kouta considered the offer as he shrugged off his shoes and hung his jacket by the door. "Sounds tempting but you'll understand if I say that I don't have much of an appetite right now," he said in an apologetic tone.

Both Nana and Lucy looked at him with chiding eyes but decided not to push him at the moment but before he crossed through the threshold into the halls, he felt a hand grip his wrist softly. Kouta turned to see Lucy with a concerned expression playing across her features. "You should get some sleep," she whispered after letting her hand linger on his arm a little longer. He shook his head in agreement and walked with the two diclonii silently until they reached the junction between the kitchen and the halls that led into the bedrooms.

"Hold on for a second," Lucy murmured, turning to look at Nana. "I'll be back, don't go anywhere."

"Uh…alright," Nana grumbled. "Oh wait. Yuka-chan called a little while ago and said that she and Mayu-chan will be back soon so don't spend so much time doing whatever you're going to do with Kouta-san before bed," she giggled much to Lucy's ire who just glared at her with pink cheeks. "Idiot, I'm just going to see how bad he's hurt," she growled in defense before grabbing Kouta, who was wearing the wearing the same expression that he always wore when being caught in the middle of two women, and dragged him off to the bathroom.

"I'm alright, really," Kouta stammered as Lucy closed the door and looked at him with commanding eyes. "Take off your shirt," she ordered. Kouta's eyes widened and he scrambled back a few steps as Lucy observed him with mirth. "Everyone's having dirty thoughts tonight," Lucy sighed. She approached Kouta slowly and put her face in front of his chest while he was just beginning to notice the change in her physical appearance.

"Hey what happened to your hor…eh…what are you doing," he asked quizzically as Lucy began sniffing the air around his shirt. "I'll tell you about it in the morning. Now take off your shirt, you're bleeding," she pleaded, using her best puppy-dog eyes to postpone the hail of questions until the next day. "Yeah, alright," Kouta uttered softly, slowly complying and tossing his shirt over the shower railing and looking down in surprise as small patches of red dotted the bandages around his chest.

"Thought so," Lucy stated. "You probably opened your wounds up walking all over the mountain…you should've gone to a hospital." She whispered the last part as she rose up and looked up to meet his gaze with her vermillion eyes shimmering sympathetically. Kouta blushed slightly at their closeness and found reprieve by averting his vision over to the sink for a short while until two soft fingers pulled him back to Lucy.

"I'm glad you're okay," she breathed. The two of them stood together, looking into each other's eyes, listening to the stillness of the inn until Lucy slipped her arms around Kouta's waist, pulling him into a light embrace which he hesitantly returned at first but soon found himself holding her tight. "That's my line," he muttered into her hair. They stayed together for several more moments until the fact of their limited time crossed their minds.

Lucy sighed as her ears picked up the sound of several people ascending the staircase outside and broke away from Kouta reluctantly, skipping the awkward moment that was bound to happen if she looked up at him and opting instead to remove his bandages. After disposing of them properly and checking his chest and back, she deduced that the injuries weren't immediately threatening in the least bit but the possibility of infection was still a very real possibility.

Grabbing a cloth from a series of wooden shelves hanging from the wall, Lucy wiped away the blood from the remnants of the bullet wounds. "Think I'll live?" Kouta asked blankly, grimacing at the small amount of pressure over the damaged flesh. "Yeah, just sit still and let me patch you up," Lucy mumbled, tossing the cloth into a wicker hamper by the door. "And don't worry," she interjected as Kouta motioned to turn around and face her. "I'm not going to melt all over you this time so relax." And with that, she placed her hands on Kouta's shoulders and got to work manipulating his body's internal structure to heal itself almost instantaneously.

"So how'd you know I was bleeding in the first place," Kouta inquired in a tone of awe as he ran his fingers over the scarless skin where his wounds had been. "Long story, wait until the morning," Lucy quipped hurriedly, wincing at the sound of the front door of the inn closing shut. "They just got back anyway, why don't you go-"

"WHAT?!"

The sound of Yuka screaming caused Lucy to rub her ears in frustration as she opened the door and pushed Kouta out into the hallway. "Looks like someone found out I was still alive," she groaned, earning an amused look from Kouta. "May as well go meet them"

Lucy began walking down back towards the Kitchen, dreading the oncoming interrogation that was sure to follow after the happy reunion. "Hey," Kouta called after her, jogging lightly to catch up. "We were all so sad, you know. Don't think for a second that they're going to be anything short of happy to see you," he stated seriously, eliciting a small smile from Lucy.

"Yeah, I know," she muttered guiltily.

_They are my friends after all…_

Setting of towards the source of the commotion, Lucy and Kouta strode casually into the kitchen where the former was nearly knocked off her feet by two sets of arms wrapping around her. She couldn't help but smile as Yuka and Mayu buried their tear-stained faces into her shoulders. "Alright, alright," she laughed, disentangling herself from the two girls. "You just saw me this morning, give me a break."

Several tissues later, the group was sitting down at the table listening intently to Nana after Lucy had refused the majority of their initial questions. But Nana was only able to say so much until focus returned to Lucy who once again told everyone to hold off until morning and go to bed.

"Fine but first thing tomorrow," Yuka ordered in a tone that left no room for argument. "Sure thing," Lucy said reassuringly. "Promise?" Mayu asked.

"Promise."

After a few more minutes of hugs and smiles, everyone save Lucy and Nana retired to their rooms.

"Well that wasn't too terribly painful," Lucy sighed, sinking into a nearby chair and rubbing her forehead with fingers until she felt a small jolt of pain. "Damn," she seethed, looking down at her hands and the small bit of red that stained one of her newly-elongated nails. "Still not used to this body yet."

"Is that why you wanted me to keep papa here?" Nana inquired, looking with mild interest across Lucy's new features. "Pretty much," she answered as the cut on her head began to heal. "I just have a feeling that he'll know what happened back on that lighthouse."

Nana nodded slowly, and pointed over to a door leading out of the kitchen. "He's out past the garden, follow me." The two diclonii set off to the edge of the compound, exiting out back into the cool night air. "Smells like rain," Lucy commented dryly as the pair moved alongside a rock garden to the outermost area of the Maple Inn's property where they spotted a shadow hunched over several burial mounds dug along the edge of the forested region.

Kurama knelt before several sticks of incense, hands together, and lost in thought.

"I never took you for a ritualistic type," Lucy remarked in a low tone, keeping her eyes on the man in front of her as he rose and turned to face her. "In my line of work, you need some form of faith," he sighed, moving along the line of graves and studying them intently. "Nana would you go back inside please," Kurama asked his surrogate daughter. "But Nana wants to stay with papa," she pleaded, only to get waved off. "Papa has to talk with Lucy-san for a while; I'll be back inside shortly."

Nana pouted for a moment and turned to go back to the inn with her shoulders held low. The two watched her go before slowly facing each other with equal expressions. "Just let me ask you this before you start: what will you do to me after you get all the answers I have to give?"

Lucy looked at him humorously, brushing imaginary dirt from her sweater. "You think I'm going to kill you"

"You haven't given me a reason to think otherwise."

Lucy heaved a sigh and looked up at the clouds for a moment before returning her gaze back to the stern-faced Kurama. "I've given up killing," she admitted happily, laughing at the look of shock she received. "The voice in my DNA finally shut up today so I can say that truthfully. Also…at this point I'm looking for ways to atone for the past, erase the memories and start over."

"I…see," Kurama muttered, sitting down on a nearby grave mound. "I don't think that's very respectful," Lucy chided. "Well this is just a pile of dirt now seeing that this was your grave up until this afternoon," Kurama retorted, leaning back after plucking out the burnt incense from the mound. "Well we're short on time," he began. "Go ahead; I'll answer what I can."

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him at sat down at the grave marked "Nyuu" next to him, placing her face on her hands and her elbows on her knees. "First thing I want to know is the state of the vector virus," she asked quickly.

Kurama pushed his glasses further up his nose and recalled everything that had recently happened. "Well as you may or may not know, the late director Kakuzawa has administered the virus across a large portion of the planet. The craft used to dispense the virus was designed to break once it reached maximum altitude, scattering several smaller crafts aimed at many of the world's most populated areas. The virus itself will infect the majority of those that come into contact with it as well as unborn children less than six months into development. You can expect to see astounding numbers of horned children in the news within the next year."

"Unbelievable," Lucy whispered. "Are there any countermeasures being taken?" Kurama nodded and edged forward slightly.

"A vaccine is in the late stages of development as we speak. It won't be ready in time to stop many of the births but the WHO is in the process of enforcing strict chastity regulations though I doubt their success. We're in a lot of trouble and many people will die so if you're serious about whatever kind of redemption you're after then there will be many opportunities where the human race can use your help in the very near future."

Lucy looked at Kurama pensively before flopping onto the ground behind her, staring blankly up at the sky.

_This is a little much for one day._

"What kind of things do you expect I'll be doing?" she asked without bothering to fix her posture.

"…We'll need you to fight."

Lucy shot up, tossing her crimson hair over her shoulders wildly. "N…no, I can't do that. I made a promise." Kurama's eye twitched in vexation as he began rubbing his temple slowly with his thumbs. "Don't be an idiot," he shouted. "You think that anyone will blame you for killing a few monsters to save millions, even billions of lives? Do you honestly believe that some pact you made is more important than what is going to happen next year? That virus was specifically engineered to destroy humanity, the silpelit that will be born are generations apart from you. Of course your powers are far greater but their growth is accelerated to foster them into a combat-ready age within six weeks."

Kurama sighed and removed his glasses, looking Lucy straight in the eyes. "Help us," he urged. "Prevent deaths and tragedies; undo what you've done in the past. If you're chasing redemption then this is the best chance you will ever have to catch it. What else were you planning on doing? Join the construction crews in the city and rebuild the sky-scrapers you destroyed?" Lucy was taken aback by his sincerity, replacing her widened eyes with a thoughtful expression.

She groaned audibly and flung herself back once more to stare up at the sky. "Just…give me a couple days to think about it, alright?" she pleaded, causing Kurama to sink back into a loose posture and clean his glasses before pushing them back on. "Have it your way," he grunted in annoyance.

"You said something about my powers…" Lucy started, trailing off in hopes that Kurama would fill in the many blanks surrounding her mysterious resurrection. Succeeding in capturing his attention, Lucy moved up a little while he gathered his thoughts. "It was something the Kakuzawas and I had started scraping the surface of in the months before you escaped and postponed our research," Kurama stated, fiddling inside his shirt pocket and pulling out a cigarette. After giving himself a light and taking a few puffs much to the suspense of Lucy, he got back to where he had left off.

"Using your DNA, we traced your ancestry back hundreds of years using a sort of de-evolving genetic web. A pure diclonius such as yourself, unlike a silpelit is a species completely separate to that of the human race as you may have concluded in your childhood. But this is all unrelated; during these experiments, we discovered an anomaly in the more primal region of your brain. It was an unidentified cell cluster that contained DNA with a code completely different from any other animal on the planet. We took a sample of these cells and began testing their capabilities in every circumstance that we could fathom and were absolutely amazed by the results."

Kurama paused to take a long drag on his cigarette, blowing the smoke out slowly. "Still following?" Lucy nodded.

"These cells when forced into contact with other cells re-wrote their genetic code and multiplied at an alarming rate while taking the form of the cells they had touched. These new cells were improved and suffered none of the weaknesses that had been exhibited by the previous ones. For example, we introduced the cells to a broken piece of human bone we had harvested from a fresh corpse. The bone not only repaired itself within seconds but it became as hard as a diamond. We moved up from there, creating hyper-dense muscle tissue that would allow a five-year old to lift a bus."

"This is what I believe happened to you up on that lighthouse. You were so thoroughly destroyed that that cell cluster activated, disposing of the rest of your weak body and rebuilding you nearly from the ground up so that nothing of the sort would ever happen again. It gave you everything you would need, strength, speed, agility, stronger and more vectors, even claws and fangs…"

Lucy interrupted him by opening her mouth and poking at her canines, surprised when the distance between the two was shorter than what she had expected. After a great deal of poking around her teeth, Kurama cleared his throat and resumed talking.

"Long story short, I think you've rapidly evolved from a strain of DNA that had been dormant inside of you since birth and I imagine your body will still be undergoing modifications for the next day or so. The only thing I can't explain is why the instinctual voice that you once had is now silent." Kurama shrugged with his cigarette hanging loosely from his fingers as Lucy eyed it with an agitated look. "Would you mind, that's burning my nose," she growled, pinching the aforementioned appendage.

After one last drag, Kurama hesitantly complied and looked down at his watch, staring at it for a few seconds before tapping the lens in annoyance. "Damn antique," he mumbled in a guttural tone. He motioned to speak again before something odd caught his eye. Whichever way he moved the watch, both hands slid along the face, pointing in the same direction which just happened to be exactly where Lucy was sitting. "I don't suppose Nana fed you a magnet," he said absent-mindedly, bringing the watch closer to the diclonius and verifying the strange phenomenon.

"Who knows, are these new teeth of mine strong enough to chew through metal?" she retorted with a small laugh as she laid down sideways once more. Kurama jolted to her side as the hands of the watch moved once more, this time identifying the source of the attraction. "It's coming from your head," he remarked with obvious confusion. "Wait you don't think…"

"Think what and what's coming from my head?" Lucy asked sharply. "There's a magnetic field coming from your head…" Kurama began with a look of shock on his face. "Of course, that would explain it," he exclaimed earnestly.

"Explain what?" Lucy shouted.

"I think that bullet is still in your brain and with the flow of electric current, it became an electromagnet which in turn has miraculously disabled your third personality!" Kurama cried as Lucy shot up with a mixed look of surprise and horror playing across her face. "Are you fucking with me?" she yelled, grabbing onto his shirt. All Kurama could do is slowly nod as Lucy's mind was running wild.

"Don't worry, with your new immune system there's no risk for infection or any other health complications," Kurama explained hastily, calming Lucy down if only the slightest bit.

_There's still a fucking bullet in my head though._

"Unbelievable," Lucy murmured, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Do you think that the voice will come back if I take it out?"

"Absolutely," Kurama answered immediately. "And most likely more influential than before," he concluded gravely.

Lucy sighed and buried her face in her hands.

"Unfortunately for you I can't spare very much sympathy at the moment," Kurama declared, finally finding the time on a cell phone he had fished out of his pants pocket. "I heard a few helicopters around her this afternoon. They were most likely looking for you since judging by the lack of trouble around here, no one saw you move from the lighthouse," he deduced slowly, assured by Lucy's nodding. "Right now they most likely don't know if you simply disintegrated or got carted off somewhere but I doubt they've considered the possibility that you're alive and in the condition that you are which is fortunate."

Kurama slouched over the empty grave, now seat and shook his head. "It wouldn't surprise me if there still exists a group of scientists and madmen out there who want to use your species," he sighed. "Remnants of the vector research facility will most likely organize once more along with the few lucky SAT operatives that survived the all the events up until now, joining with some maniacal third party…or not. It's just as likely that they will disband with your disappearance but I personally doubt that. The recent events are tempting to others like Kakuzawa to convince them to follow in his footsteps and twist the knife that he has already thrust deep into this world. The time between now and the time when the vaccine to the vector virus can be administered worldwide will be one of uncertainty and great distress."

Both Lucy and Kurama felt the weight of those words as small raindrops began falling gently atop their heads. "Here," Kurama offered, holding out a cell phone to Lucy. "It has my number in it and you can call me on a secure line when you decide what you want to do next year."

"You're not staying here?" Lucy asked in slight surprise, getting to her feet alongside Kurama. "No, I think both of us attract too much attention to be shared under one household," he replied heavily, sparing a regretful glance at the Maple Inn as the rain began increasing in intensity. "I have a place in the city, the address in the phone. Please give Nana my number but don't tell her where I am. In the state of things right now, she shouldn't go into the city which goes for you as well. I'll update you when I get information on the status of the people that may want to capture you but in the meantime try to remain inconspicuous and let your friends answer the door for a while if you know what I mean."

Lucy nodded her head in understanding as Kurama disappeared into the rain.


End file.
